Badkhal Lake

Badkhal Lake

Badkhal Lake was a natural lake in Badkhal town near Faridabad in the state of Haryana, about 32 km from the national capital Delhi. It was a man-made embankment, hitting the hills of the Aravalli Range. Due to uncontrolled mining in neighboring areas, the lake began to dry up two decades ago and has now dried up completely. Nearby are functional Haryana Tourism Corporation restaurants. A flower show is organized here every spring. Its name is most commonly derived from the Persian word Bidakhal, meaning free from interference. Close to Badkhal Lake is Mayur Lake. It is a biodiversity zone stretching from Sariska Tiger Reserve to Delhi within the North Aravalli Leopard Wildlife Corridor.

Historical places around the lake include the 10th-century ancient Surajkund reservoir (15 km north) and Anangpur dam (16 km north), similar to Dumdum Lake, Tughlakabad Fort, Adilabad Ruins, and Chhatarpur Temple. There are several dozen lakes in abandoned open-pit mines in and around the sanctuary. It is embedded in Pali-Dhuj-Kot villages of Faridabad for seasonal waterfalls, the sacred Mangar Bani hill forest, and the Asola Bhatti Wildlife Sanctuary

History

Soon after the country gained independence in 1947, the lake was constructed to supply water to the surrounding fields. It was built by constructing a dam between two low Aravali hills to lay a net on the runway for irrigation. In 1972, the Haryana government built a 30-room resort by the lake, a major tourist attraction with boating and other activities from the ’90s through the’ 90s. The lake also used to have migratory birds

The construction boom in the National Capital Region led to large-scale excavation and mining in the region. Since illegal mining and quarrying was done, the flow of water downstream into the lake was not only impeded, but the aquifers were also damaged. In addition, deforestation and large-scale borewell digging in the region due to urbanization worsened the situation, making the lake high and dry. Many mineral water companies have also illegally dumped water from the lake. Since 2009, the lake has dried up completely except for the grassy area. Unusually low rainfall has also been cited in the area.

Renewal Efforts

Initial renovation efforts were entrusted to the state irrigation department. In 2017, they tried to refill the lake bed by supplying water from the Okhla Canal, but this was not found to be an option. The state government then approached Manav Rachna University in 2018, which produced a report stating that sewage treatment plant (STP) water can be used for the same. Later Experts from the Indian Institute of Technology-Roorkee were roped in to collect soil samples and conduct infiltration tests on the lake bed. He conducted a geotechnical survey of the lake under the Smart Cities Mission and submitted his report a year later.